The New York Police Department spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an eclectic assortment of items over the past five years, DNAinfo reported, purchasing everything from crime-fighting costumes and steak dinners to robots and hallucinogenic drugs.

More than $13,000 was spent on hallucinogenic mushrooms and
ecstasy (MDMA, also known as Molly) from chemical and laboratory
suppliers, though the NYPD wasn’t stocking up for police officers
to expand their consciousness. Rather, they were buying samples
to compare to what’s sold during street buys.

“When examining a suspected illegal substance, it is
necessary to have a verified comparison sample to validate the
analysis,” department spokesman Stephen Davis told DNAinfo, adding that many law
enforcement agencies make similar buys for their laboratories.

Records show the department bought $13,368 worth of psilocybin
from Pina lab in 2011 – the compound that in certain mushrooms
causes hallucinations – and a separate purchase, also in 2011,
consisted of psilocybin and MDMA from another lab, Sigma.

DNAinfo examined the spending records of the NYPD, finding that
in addition to the drug purchases, the department had also spent
thousands of dollars on meals, Chinese consultants, shoeshine
machines and robots.

During 2009-2014, the NYPD spent at least $500,000 on robots –
half of which was spent with one vendor, ReconRobotics. The tech
firm makes the Throwbot, a tiny, remote-controlled,
barbell-shaped machine that can be thrown in the middle of a
protest rally and provide real-time video footage to officers.

Other purchases included thousands of dollars on steak dinners at
leading steakhouses like Peter Luger’s and Gallaghers. An NYPD
spokesman told DNAinfo the steak dinners were part of a citywide
employee appreciation program as a reward for good work.

Another $13,000 was spent in 2013 on eight life-size costumes of
McGruff the Crime Dog, which police say are used to teach kids
about crime prevention by its Community Affairs unit. Two real
dogs – male German shepherds – were bought for its K-9 unit and
cost the department $11,000 in 2010.

Additionally, the NYPD hired a Chinatown resident as a consultant
for their 5th Precinct, to help them understand cultural nuances
with residents who speak different Chinese dialects.

The report also shows $69,000 was spent on industrial-grade
shoeshine machines during 2010 and 2014. Each precinct house had
one as police officers are expected to have shiny shoes before
and during their duty. In 2013, the department spent $93,000 on
jet skis for its elite Emergency Service Unit. The unit responds
to building collapses, hostage crises, risky rescues and bomb
threats. Some emergency situations involve the high seas.